‘Hard not seeing him’ Group of teens unite while hoping for friend to recover from dirt bike crash

WASHINGTON, Pa. — Family and friends are still praying for a miracle for a 15-year-old on life support after a dirt bike accident. Jonathan Gillespie was flown to Children’s Hospital Monday evening after his dirt bike collided with an SUV in Washington.

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“He just got all brand-new stuff for his bike. We put that on there. He’s like I gotta get gas for my dirt bike, I’m out of gas. We gave him oil, all that stuff, gave him five dollars, sent him down over the hill and he just didn’t come back,” said friend Ty Sutton.

Washington’s Police Chief tells Channel 11 they are still investigating and waiting for the accident reconstruction report. He says the driver of the SUV stopped and gave CPR before his officers arrived just one minute later. But the teen hadn’t been wearing a helmet or shirt, and was flown by medical helicopter to Children’s Hospital.

“I got this call saying he got hit. I’m like, ‘Jonathan probably got a broken leg. Broken arm.’ They’re like, ‘Nah, it’s bad,’” said Ty.

Ty and his friends rushed to Children’s Hospital, where they formed a prayer circle in the waiting room. A mother of one of the boys posted a photo of the prayer circle on social media, saying, ‘Four friends united in prayer, holding out hope for a miracle’.

“It was special, getting together with my boys, praying for Jonathan to live through it,” said Nicholas Willhoft.

While those teens continue to pray for that miracle, they want to encourage other dirt bike lovers to protect themselves from head to toe.

“Yeah, it changes a lot. It’s gonna make me start wearing a helmet. Start actually taking safety,” said Nicholas.

“Please wear a helmet, please wear a helmet, it’s not worth it. You got people that love you, you got a family at home, you have no idea the people this is going to impact,” said Ty.

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